McCall Repeats as OVC Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-OVC; Martin Named Second Team

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

BRENTWOOD, Tenn. --- Tennessee State men’s basketball senior Tahjere McCall (Philadelphia, Pa.) earned his second-consecutive Ohio Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year award and a spot on the All-OVC First Team, while fellow senior Wayne Martin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) was honored with Second Team All-OVC accolades, it was announced by the league office on Tuesday.

A year after becoming TSU’s first OVC Defensive Player of the Year, McCall repeats as the league’s top defensive stopper. The 6-5 redshirt senior guard currently ranks sixth in the nation in steals per game (2.92) and seventh in total steals (76). He leads the OVC in both categories.

McCall, who is also on the All-OVC First Team for the second year in a row, has recorded three or more steals 16 times this season and has accomplished the feat 27 times during his two seasons in Nashville. Last year, he set the program’s single-season steals record with 72, breaking the mark again this season.

Also a dynamic scorer, McCall averages a team-high 14.4 points per game and has reached double figures 23 times on the year. He has three double-doubles in 2016-17 and eclipsed 1,000 career points on Jan. 7 versus UT Martin.

For Martin, who has been a dominating force on both ends of the floor, it is his first time earning All-OVC honors. The redshirt senior from Brooklyn, N.Y. is second on the team with 14.3 points while leading the Tigers with 9.2 rebounds per game. Martin has recorded 10 double-doubles on the year to go with 10 from a season ago.

Martin, who has scored in double figures 23 times in 29 games, has posted four 20-plus point efforts on the year. On the glass, Martin has led TSU in rebounding 17 times and has two games with 17 rebounds in OVC play. The 6-7 forward ranks in the top 15 in the OVC in scoring, rebounding, blocks, field goal percentage and double-doubles.

Both McCall and Martin were named Preseason All-OVC prior to the 2016-17 season.

The Tigers take on Southeast Missouri in the first round of the OVC Tournament on Wednesday, March 1, at 6:30 p.m. at Municipal Auditorium.

OVC MAJOR AWARDS OVC Player of the Year: Evan Bradds, BelmontOVC Defensive Player of the Year: Tahjere McCall, Tennessee State OVC Freshman of the Year: Denzel Mahoney, Southeast Missouri OVC Coach of the Year: Rick Byrd, Belmont